I agree so much with John Oliver here, with one qualifier.
Octopuses are awesome, but they have a flaw: they don’t live in the Midwest. In fact, the entire centers of every continent are an octopus-free zone, which means I can either spend my life pining for an unrequited love, or I could open my eyes and realize that instead, the continents are crawling with an equally weird and even more diverse population of mysterious creatures who don’t get no love. Not that they care, but part of the appeal of octopuses and spiders is that they don’t give a good god damn about people — they’re independent and free and living their best life without you.
Are ya up late or up early, PZ? After seeing that video I knew this post was inevitable, but it came quick.
Waiting for your post on Richard Lewontin. No hurry, I’m sure you’ll want to spend time on it.
I love John Oliver.
I love octopuses.
That is all.
I think you have an unhealthy attraction to the number “eight”, PZ. I’m sure there’s a word for that, but I can’t quite put my thumb on it.
@crocswsocks
It’s possible to schedule things you write to be released to the internet for viewing at a later time rather than published immediately. Which is to say that PZ might have been up early, but a public post at a particular time isn’t direct evidence that the author was awake (or even alive) at the time it was released. This is particularly true given that articles get more views if they are released in the morning. Experienced bloggers know this and time their publications accordingly.
A comment, on the other hand, has no mechanism for being held & published later (at least not one controlled by the author, spam traps can still delay publication), so comments are better evidence for contemporaneous consciousness.
@4 I have posted in the past about the Doc and the number 8 ,i googled Attracted to the Number 8 ,came up with a load of numberbollocky .I did know that the Chinese consider the number 8 very lucky .
One Chinese guy with far more money than sense paid £100,000 for one containing five Eights .
I know someone who spent £15,000 on a plate that read Mick1 ,I told him he was mad to do that .
He asked me why ? I replied ,for a start ,your name is Peter.
Snigger ,snigger .
@4 I have posted in the past about the Doc and the number 8 ,i googled Attracted to the Number 8 ,came up with a load of numberbollocky .I did know that the Chinese consider the number 8 very lucky .
One Chinese guy with far more money than sense paid £100,000 for one containing five Eights .
I know someone who spent £15,000 on a plate that read Mick1 ,I told him he was mad to do that .
He asked me why ? I replied ,for a start ,your name is Peter.
Chortle ,chortle .
“Stealth bagpipes”.
I assume that as a native of the northwest you’re familiar with the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus? One of the very first bits of information I discovered on the internet.
Admit it, PZ; you miss the Northwest. Spiders are a poor replacement for the Great Octopus, but go on with your little spiders. We’ll wait for you to return.
NYT just ran an entire article on how intelligent, personable, and all around awesome cuttlefish are…and not a single word on the ethics of experimenting on them or keeping them in cages. :-(
I wonder how long before sea level reaches Lake Superior. That will make your day. Octopuses at last.